Running head: LEADERSHIP EDUCATION AT LIS SCHOOLS Manuscript Leadership Education at Library and Information Studies (LIS) Schools Norma Estela Palomino Master Candidate Master of Science in Information Studies Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Texas at Austin, USA Abstract: Librarians’ leadership skills can be trained at Library and Information Science (LIS) schools, but before that it is essential to critically review the traditional trends in the curricula. One of the most important obstacles in developing library leaders is related to the bias encompassed by the educational tradition established in the United States of America by Melvil Dewey’s school, more than one hundred of years ago, and broadly spread worldwide. This paper analyzes the historical thread of the major learning goals of Dewey’s pioneer curricula, and its influence on Latin America education for librarianship. The concepts of “character”, “expertise”, “institution”, and “authority” are analyzed. Additionally, two approaches to modify the curricula are offered. The first constitutes a theoretical proposal drew by authors Totten and Keys (1994) based on training students to deal with risk-taking and innovation. The second is an actual modification made to the curriculum at the Department of Information Studies at Sheffield University, in England, explained by author Levy (1992). Finally, the conclusion critically summarizes both proposals and encourages more researches in the future. May 31, 2002